A Mouthguard for NBA Star Isaiah Thomas

Even after losing a tooth in an on-court collision with an opposing player, Isaiah Thomas didn’t slow down. The Boston Celtics point guard completed the play…and the rest of the game. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of his dental problems — it was just the beginning.

Over the next few days, Thomas had a total of ten hours of oral surgery to treat problems with multiple teeth. He got a temporary bridge, and will receive a permanent one at a later date. He also got fitted for a custom-made mouthguard to prevent re-injury.

We’re pleased to see that Thomas is getting appropriate dental treatment. But it’s unfortunate that he didn’t get the mouthguard sooner; this one piece of inexpensive safety gear could have saved him a lot of pain and trouble. If you think mouthguards are strictly for full-contact sports, Thomas’ troubles should make you think again. In fact, according to a 2015 study in the journal Sports Health, the five sports with the highest overall risk of tooth loss are basketball, football, hockey, martial arts, and boxing. Plenty of other also involve the risk of dental injury.

The study also notes that some 5 million teeth are avulsed (knocked out) each year in the U.S. alone. Countless others are loosened, fractured or chipped. What’s more, it is estimated that the lifetime cost of treating an avulsed tooth is between $5,000 and $20,000. The cost of a custom-made mouthguard is just a small fraction of that.

Where can you or your child get a custom-made mouthguard? Right here at the dental office! These high-quality items are professionally fabricated from a model of your actual teeth, so they fit much better than an off-the-shelf one ever could. They offer superior protection, durability and comfort — because, after all, no mouthguard can protect you if it’s too uncomfortable to wear.

Thomas’ season is now over due to a hip injury, but at least he will now have time to rest and get his dental problems taken care of. Let’s hope his story will inspire more athletes — both professional and amateur — to prevent similar problems by wearing custom-made mouthguards. Whether you compete on a school team, enjoy a pick-up game after work, or play in the big leagues, a dental injury is one problem that you don’t need.